Although Mothers’ Day can be fraught for many LGBTQ+ people, over 1,000 moms commemorated the holiday this year by speaking out for equality.
In an open letter, mothers across the country urge Congress to pass the Equality Act in order to ensure full protection in all areas of life for queer and transgender Americans. The landmark legislation would represent a “critical step toward ensuring that America lives up to our foundational values of equality and freedom for all,” according to the letter.
“As mothers, we are asking you to pass the Equality Act to level the playing field for everyone, guaranteeing that LGBTQ children are extended the same federal anti-discrimination protections that other Americans have enjoyed for decades,” the letter states.
“Moms do not back down when it comes to protecting our children,” it continues.
The Equality Act would update the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in areas like housing, education, and public accommodations. Although the bill passed the House in February, the legislation remains stalled in the Senate. President Joe Biden promised to pass the Equality Act within his first 100 days in office. In an address before a joint session of Congress on April 28, Biden called on lawmakers to send the bill to his desk.
Although nearly half of U.S. states have some form of inclusive, statewide protections on the books that includes queer and trans people, 29 states do not have any such protections, which signatories of the letter say furthers underscores the need for federal action. In states ranging from Ohio and North Carolina to Texas and Georgia, they note that LGBTQ+ people can be legally “refused housing or evicted from their homes, kicked out of a business that’s open to the public, denied health care, or government services simply because of who they are.”
The letter adds that the Equality Act would expand protections to “millions” at risk of discrimination, not just LGBTQ+ people. For instance, the definition of “public accommodations” under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 pertains solely to areas like hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters, according to the proressive think tank Center for American Progress. The Equality Act, in contrast, provides protection in “any establishment that provides a good, service, or program,” including public transit.
While Senate Republicans have held up the Equality Act over fears that these protections would strip away religious freedom, more than 70% of Americans support LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination laws. This support, as the coalition of moms writes, includes “400 major U.S. businesses; faith and civil rights leaders; major statewide and national organizations; and communities in every corner of the country.”
“Americans share the bedrock value that every person deserves to be treated equally under the law,” the letter states. “That is why the Equality Act is a unifying issue for our nation.”
The plea was organized by a campaign called Freedom and Opportunity for All, which represents a litany of leading LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations. These include the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), National Center for Trans Equality (NCTE), PFLAG National, Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF), and The Trevor Project.
Timed to the letter’s release, HRC posted several notes from parents who signed onto the statement, speaking to LGBTQ+ youth in need of support and protection. Yma Johnson, a member of HRC’s Parents for Transgender Equality Council, told trans youth under attack by their state legislatures in 2021 that they are “beyond loved.”
